A Promising Start

So it seems (based on the first day of advance polling, at least) that voters in Toronto are rip-roaring to get out there and cast a ballot in this year’s municipal election. The city clerk informed us that the one-day turnout on Tuesday nearly doubled 2010’s 6 weekday totals, some 28,000+ to the previous 16 K. The single day turnout came in at over one-third of 2010’s total advance voter numbers.

The tea leaves were quickly read. Tory supporters of all stripes getting out there to fend off the Ford horde. Chow voters quickly casting their ballot before giving over to the fear induced Anyone But Ford stampede. People just getting into line because they heard it was for Ford bobbleheads.

Actually, no. I didn’t hear anyone make the claim.

The conventional wisdom seems to suggest that increased voter turnout doesn’t tend to augur well for the incumbent, if there’s an incumbent, and yes, there’s an incumbent. A betting man might see the advance poll numbers and lay down large on Doug Ford not winning this thing, maybe not even placing. If there’s one thing a rock solid majority of Torontonians can agree on at this point, it’s that we don’t want to see another Ford sitting in the mayor’s office come October 28th (or whenever it is the next council is officially sworn in.)

Let me just take the opportunity to say, if that’s the case, if the Ford era days are numbered, our job here is not done. No, no, no, my pretties. It has just begun.

As we have learned over the course of the past 4 years, the notion that simply voting as your one act of civic duty is insufficient to the proper maintenance of local democracy. Regardless of who becomes our next mayor, we can no longer sit back, grab a drink and hope for the best. Chasing one bad politician from office will not magically make the city’s problems disappear. To declare the war won is to sweep everything under the carpet. Out of sight, out of mind.

Engagement is ongoing. Vote with hope but work for results. We cannot leave the future well-being of Toronto in the hands of our politicians. As a group they’ve shown not always to have the best interests of the city or its residents at heart. It is up to us to continue working with our politicians (and against them, if need be) to keep reminding them of who it is they’ve actually been elected to represent.